87 Memorable Doctor Who Quotes

For decades, "Doctor Who" has captivated audiences with its imaginative storytelling, complex characters, and thought-provoking dialogue. As one of the most iconic sci-fi series in television history, it has not only entertained audiences but also inspired them with its memorable quotes. From clever quips of the whimsical Doctors to profound reflections on life, time, and existence, "Doctor Who" offers a treasure trove of wisdom and wit. In this post, we delve into the top 87 quotes from the series, celebrating the moments that have left an indelible mark on fans across the globe. Whether you're a long-time Whovian or new to the time-traveling adventures, these quotes are sure to resonate and remind you why "Doctor Who" remains a beloved cornerstone of sci-fi storytelling.

1. “Rumpty!" he muttered, which was very rude if you were one of the few people in the universe who understood what it meant.” - Paul Cornell

2. “He'd actually done it! He leaned back into the microphone and whispered to the now silent cave: 'Come to the Cabaret!” - Paul Cornell

3. “The brilliant escape, the funny line to cap it, despite the lack of timing. And the girl was still dead. The last act had not materialised. The world, and himself, remained so far from what they should be: so imperfect.” - Paul Cornell

4. “John Smith: Mankind doesn't need warfare and bloodshed to prove itself. Everyday life can provide honour and valour. Let's hope that from now on this country can find its heroes in smaller places. In the most ordinary of deeds.” - Paul Cornell

5. “I travelled across the world. From the ruins of New York, to the fusion mills of China, right across the radiation pits of Europe. And everywhere I went I saw people just like you, living as slaves! But if Martha Jones became a legend then that's wrong, because my name isn't important. There's someone else. The man who sent me out there, the man who told me to walk the Earth. And his name is The Doctor. He has saved your lives so many times and you never even knew he was there. He never stops. He never stays. He never asks to be thanked. But I've seen him, I know him... I love him... And I know what he can do. - Martha Jones” - Russell T. Davies

6. “No, look, there's a blue box. It's bigger on the inside than it is on the outside. It can go anywhere in time and space and sometimes even where it's meant to go. And when it turns up, there's a bloke in it called The Doctor and there will be stuff wrong and he will do his best to sort it out and he will probably succeed 'cause he's awesome. Now sit down, shut up, and watch 'Blink'.” - Neil Gaiman

7. “Something pretty bad's happening nearby in the space-time continuum.' the Doctor shouted over the noise. 'The TARDIS is a terrible rubbernecker - like a little old lady, she can't resist slowing down for a gawp at a car crash in the next lane. Bless.''This is not slowing down,' bellowed Rory.'Good point,' agreed the Doctor.” - James Goss

8. “It's Smith, actually.' Dr Smith smiled, bowing. 'I've remembered that my name is Smith. Almost definitely. Good old English name. Hopefully means 'noble valiant warriot' and not 'he who hits kittens with a hammer.' You'd be surprised the derivations of common surnames in the English countryside...” - James Goss

9. “[The Doctor] pulled the thing out of Prince Boris's mouth, waving it around. 'Oh. Blimey. This is not a spatula. What is it?'I [Amy] stared at the stubby thing. It looked like the world's chunkiest novelty gift pen... I coughed. 'That, Doctor, is the sonic screwdriver.''Ah,' Dr Smith boggled. 'Right. Is it? Oh dear.' Another pause. 'What does it do?''Well... it screws things... sonically. On a good day, we fight off monsters with it.''Monsters, eh?' Dr Smith nodded gravely and... pointed it at the doorway like a gun and said, hopefully, 'Pew! Pew! Pew!' He turned back to me. 'Like that?''Other way up,' I said gently.” - James Goss

10. “Don't worry, I'm shielding you. When we crashed here and it first attacked me, I was caught with my mental trousers down. Not anymore. Psychic force field's intact. Belts and braces. Braces, by the way, are very cool.” - James Goss

11. “Which brings me to you, Prince Boris. And I'm sorry, but here's the thing... I think you're one of the nicest Russian aristocrats I've ever met and not been forced into an arranged marriage with,' [said the Doctor]” - James Goss

12. “At the moment, it's simply a difference of opinon between the Doctor and you.. You both want the best. You've only tried to kill him a couple of times... I mean, don't worry about that. I've seen people do much worse to him and at the end of the day he'll take them out for pizza. He's very forgiving. The Doctor is brilliant,' [said Rory]” - James Goss

13. “Rory's not my pet dog!' I [Amy] yelled at the Doctor.'Well, that would be better.' He was truly angry. 'Dogs I can live with.' He paused, suddenly hopeful. 'Quite sure you're not a cat person?''This isn't getting him back,' I said.He pulled a face. 'Who said I wanted him back? I was just suggesting a few alternatives. Nice little ginger tom. Have to get it neutered, of course.' He smiled winningly. 'I'd let you name him.''We'll find Rory.' I was firm. 'And then neuter him.” - James Goss

14. “Well, what do you want me to say?' The Doctor was so angry he was almost hovering. 'Well done on marrying the only male nurse not to have a full set of Barbara Streisand records? Why did you pick him, anyway? Were there no flight attendants in your village?''Only Jeff,' [Amy replied].'Ah.'...'I picked Rory, always Rory, because he is just like you,' I [Amy] yelled at him. 'He is sweet and understanding and funny and he always tries to do the right thing. Plus you both run the same way.''We do not.''Do so.” - James Goss

15. “Don't get me started on the whole Doctor-Amy-Rory thing. It's kind of like... I dunno. Suppose you'd always fancied Ryan Reynolds. That's fine, yeah. You meet someone else, who is maybe not Ryan Reynolds, but perhaps he's got the same goofy smile. And you think, 'Yeah, that's it, I'm happy.' Then Ryan Reynolds himself roars up in a camper van and says 'Hey guys! Let's all go on a road trip. Bring the boyfriend! It'll be fun.' Only Ryan Reynolds doesn't save the universe. Well, not at weekends.So I guess that's my life. Crammed in a camper van, sneaking the odd glance at Ryan, squeezing the hand of my lovely husband...” - James Goss

16. “I've lost the TARDIS as well.'I [Amy] was outraged. Considering my husband was dying and we were stranded in the past, the Doctor seemed fairly calm about things. 'Someone's nicked it!''Not so much, no.' The Doctor looked awkward. 'There's a mechanism... thingy. If the TARDIS senses a threat it removes itself from the scene. First sign of danger, it goes and hides behind the curtains.''Whose genius idea was that?'The Doctor swallowed, embarrassed. He claims to be the last of the most advanced race in the universe. Sometimes, I'm just not convinced.” - James Goss

17. “Now here's Amy Pond, standing in the freezing ocean, holding the body of her imaginary friend, and shouting at the sea to make him better.Yeah. If only my therapists could see me now.” - James Goss

18. “Rory, Rory, Rory - was it your idea to get The Sea to cure me?' [said the Doctor.]'Yes,' said Rory, smiling.'That was brilliant.' The Doctor beamed, then his face fell. '-ly awful.” - James Goss

19. “You see, there's a drill:1. I [Amy] will say 'Right then, let's go and rescue him [Rory].'2. The Doctor will say 'Ah yes, but...'3. And then he'll list the fourteen things that we have to do before we resuce Rory4. And why they're all more important than rescuing Rory5. The list normally includes wounded puppies6. An exploding bus full of grannies7. You know what I mean8. So we'll go and do those instead9. Cos they're all so important10. And Rory has to come last.” - James Goss

20. “Maria looked at the TARDIS... 'Is that really your carriage?' She asked. 'It is not very good, monsieur. It has no wheels.''It doesn't need them,' laughed Amy. 'It's an English carriage. They don't have wheels.'Does Monsieur Rory push it?''When necessary,' laughed Amy.” - James Goss

21. “Why do humans never do as they're told? Someone should replace you all with robots. No, on second though, they shouldn't, bad idea.” - Jonathan Morris

22. “Rose: Look at you, beaming away like you're Father Christmas!The Doctor: Who says I'm not, red-bicycle-when-you-were-twelve?Rose: [shocked] What?The Doctor: And everybody lives, Rose! Everybody lives! I need more days like this! Go on, ask me anything; I'm on fire!” - Steven Moffat

23. “Rose: My mum's here.The Doctor: Oh, that's just what I need! Don't you dare make this place domestic!Mickey Smith: You ruined my life, Doctor. [the Doctor turns and looks at him, irritated] They thought she was dead, I was a murder suspect because of you!The Doctor: [looks at Rose] See what I mean? Domestic!Mickey: I bet you don't even remember my name!The Doctor: Ricky.Mickey: It's Mickey!The Doctor: No, it's Ricky.Mickey: I think I know my own name!The Doctor: You think you know your own name? How stupid are you?” - Russell T. Davies

24. “The Doctor: It's my nose; it has special powers.Nancy: Yeah? That why it's so...?The Doctor: What?Nancy: Nothing.The Doctor: What?Nancy: Nothing. Do your ears have special powers too?” - Steven Moffat

25. “You don't want to take over the universe. You wouldn't know what to do with it beyond shout at it.” - Steven Moffat

26. “Geronimo!” - Steven Moffat

27. “The Doctor: [aiming gun at the ceiling] Didn't anyone ever tell you? There's one thing you never put in a trap if you're smart. If you value your continued existence, if you have any plans about seeing tomorrow, there's one thing you never, ever put in a trap. Angel Bob: And what would that be, sir? The Doctor: Me. [fires]” - Steven Moffat

28. “Angel Bob: Doctor? Excuse me, hello, Doctor? Angel Bob here, sir. The Doctor: Ah, there you are, Angel Bob. How's life? Sorry, bad subject. Angel Bob: The Angels are wondering what you hope to achieve. The Doctor: Achieve? We're not achieving anything. We're just hanging, it's nice in here: consoles; comfy chairs; a forest... how's things with you? Angel Bob: The Angels are feasting, sir. Soon we will be able to absorb enough power to consume this vessel, this world, and all the stars and worlds beyond. The Doctor: Yeah, but we've got comfy chairs. Did I mention? Angel Bob: We have no need for comfy chairs. The Doctor: [amused] I made him say 'comfy chairs'.” - Steven Moffat

29. “Demons run when a good man goes to warNight will fall and drown the sunWhen a good man goes to warFriendship dies and true love liesNight will fall and the dark will riseWhen a good man goes to warDemons run, but count the costThe battle's won, but the child is lost” - Steven Moffat

30. “Hitler: Thank you, whoever you are. I think you just saved my life.The Doctor: Believe me... It was an accident.” - Steven Moffat

31. “Brave hea-" The Doctor sighed. "Chin up.” - David A. McIntee

32. “Very efficient," a new voice said approvingly. He decided to take it as a sign of approval, anyway. The speaker was a European-looking youth with a slightly haughty air.” - David A. McIntee

33. “When he pursed his lips and dropped a hand into his coat pocket, the last thing Nur expected him to pull out was a cricket ball. "I'd hoped for a disruptor at least," she muttered reprovingly. The Doctor slipped three fingers around the ball and hefted it experimentally. "I thought we'd try something a little less excessive." He breathed gently on to the maroon leather and polished it on his leg as the Sontaran finally tossed the Kshatriya aside and stopped to pick up its fallen weapon. He stepped around the corner, sighting along his free arm as the Sontaran straightened, its back fully turned. The cricket ball flashed down the length of the corridor in the blink of an eye, punching into the back of the Sontaran's collar and ricocheting away. To Nur's astonishment, the alien spasmed and crashed to the floor like a falling tree. "Out for a duck," the Doctor commented, blowing across his fingertips. "I've never seen anything killed by a cricket ball before." "You haven't yet. He'll wake up in a few minutes.” - David A. McIntee

34. “He rolled the boat over to get out from under it, and forced himself to take the steps up to the bridge at a normal pace. He was delighted to see the Doctor, but he wouldn't want the Doctor to think he was incapable of getting on on his own. "Oh, it's you," he said. The Kshatriya looked surprised, but the Doctor merely raised an eyebrow. "Turlough, I don't believe you've met Captain Sharma–" "I've heard of him." Turlough immediately moved himself protectively in front of Nur and the Doctor, hoping it wasn’t really necessary.” - David A. McIntee

35. “Then what do we call you?" another of the heat forms asked. "We are Rutan." "Our species need something a little more particular," the first heat form of the Time Lord said. "I think we’ll call you Fred, for ease of reference.” - David A. McIntee

36. “The bemused Brigadier shook his head. "You and that TARDIS.” - Peter Grimwade

37. “Mawdryn stared at the Brigadier with such a look of pain and longing. For a moment the old soldier's mind went back thirty-five years to his first taste of action as a young lieutenant in Palestine, with his platoon badly shot up by terrorists, and he remembered the mangled conscript who screamed at the officer to take his rifle and kill him.” - Peter Grimwade

38. “The Brigadier had no wish to shake hands with the improbable young man in the ridiculous frock-coat.” - Peter Grimwade

39. “If you want more people to come to the theatre, don't put the prices at £50. You have to make theatre inclusive, and at the moment the prices are exclusive. Putting TV stars in plays just to get people in is wrong. You have to have the right people in the right parts. Stunt casting and being gimmicky does the theatre a great disservice. You have to lure people by getting them excited about a theatrical experience.” - Catherine Tate

40. “There's one thing you don't put in a trap, if you're smart, if you value your continued existance, if you have any plans about seeing tomorrow, there is one thing you never ever put in a trap.And what would that be sir?Me” - Steven Moffat

41. “As we learn about each other, so we learn about ourselves” - William Hartnell

42. “Third Doctor: A straight line may be the shortest distance between two points, but it is by no means the most interesting” - Robert Holmes

43. “Eighth Doctor: I love humans. Always seeing patterns in things that aren’t there.” - Matthew Jacobs

44. “LEELA: 'To be, or not to be, that is the question.' That is a very stupid question!THE DOCTOR: It's Shakespeare.LEELA: And that is a very stupid name. You do not shake a spear, you throw it! Throwspeare, now that is a name.” - John Dorney

45. “River Song: Use the stabilisers! The Doctor: It doesn't have stabilisers! River Song: The blue switches! The Doctor: The blue ones don't do anything, they're just... blue! River Song: Yes they're blue: they're the blue stabilisers! [presses the button and the TARDIS indeed stabilises] See? The Doctor: Yeah? Well, it's boring now, isn't it? They're boring-ers! They're blue... boring-ers! Amy: Doctor, how come she can fly the TARDIS? The Doctor: You call that flying the TARDIS? [scoffs] Ha! River Song: Okay, I've mapped the probability vectors, done a foldback on the temporal isometry, charted the ship to its destination and... [presses a button, the cloister bell clangs] parked us right alongside. The Doctor: Parked us? But we haven't landed! River Song: Of course we've landed; I just landed her. The Doctor: But it didn't make the noise. River Song: What noise? The Doctor: You know, the... [does an impression of the TARDIS materialisation sound] River Song: It's not supposed to make that noise. You leave the brakes on.The Doctor: Yes, well, it's a brilliant noise. I love that noise.” - Steven Moffat

46. “The Doctor: Just had a fall. All the way down there, right to the library. Heck of a climb back up.Amelia: You're soaking wet. The Doctor: I was in the swimming pool. Amelia: You said you were in the library. The Doctor: So was the swimming pool.” - Steven Moffat

47. “The Doctor: Sorry, do you have a name?Idris: Seven hundred years and finally he asks. The Doctor: But what do I call you?Idris: I think you call me... Sexy? The Doctor: [embarrassed] Only when we're alone. Idris: We are alone. The Doctor: Oh. Come on then, Sexy.” - Neil Gaiman

48. “Amy: This time can we... lose the bunk beds? The Doctor: No Bunk beds are cool, a bed with a ladder, you can't beat that!” - Neil Gaiman

49. “The Doctor: You know how adults tell you everything's going to be fine, just to make you feel better? Amelia: Yes. Doctor: Well.....everything's going to be fine.” - Steven Moffat

50. “We're all stories, in the end.” - Steven Moffat

51. “Come on, Rory! It isn't rocket science, it's just quantum physics!-The Doctor (Matt Smith)” - Steven Moffat

52. “Amy: Pond and her boys . . . my poncho boys. If we're going to die, let's die looking like a peruvian folk band.” - Simon Nye

53. “I'll be a story in your head. That's okay. We're all stories in the end. Just make it a good one, eh? 'Cause it was, you know. It was the best. The daft old man who stole a magic box and ran away. Did I ever tell you that I stole it? Well I borrowed it. I was always going to take it back.” - Steven Moffat

54. “You want weapons? We're in a library! Books! The best weapons in the world!” - Steven Moffat

55. “There was a goblin, or a trickster or a warrior. A nameless, terrible thing, soaked in the blood of a billion galaxies. The most feared being in all the cosmos. Nothing could stop it or hold it or reason with it. One day it would just drop out of the sky and tear down your world...” - Steve Moffat

56. “Melody Malone is the owner and sole employee of the Angel Detective Agency in Manhattan. She is possibly married but lives alone usually, and is older than both her parents. Sometimes. Why not visit her website? Ah – probably because the internet hasn’t been invented yet. Sorry, Sweetie.” - Melody Malone

57. “Let me through – I’m a doctor.’ My heart beat a little faster, and I lingered just long enough to be sure he’d used the indefinite article. But the man was short and bald and rather ugly – not at all like any Doctor I’d consult. I hope. If ‘consult’ is the right word.” - Melody Malone

58. “I don’t often need rescuing, but it’s nice when it goes well and doesn’t involve great heights.” - Melody Malone

59. “I sat with my feet up on my desk and started to make a mental list of the people who’d want me dead. Once I got to fifty, I decided this wasn’t helping.” - Melody Malone

60. “Complicated” is my middle name.’ Actually, it’s not my middle name – any more than Malone is my last name. Whether Melody is really my first name is, well, complicated.” - Melody Malone

61. “Everything about me is pretty and a lot of it is shrewd. So I had a pretty shrewd idea what was going on.” - Melody Malone

62. “The secret is not just to be stunning, which I find comes rather easily, to be honest. The tricky thing is getting exactly the right level of stun for the occasion.” - Melody Malone

63. “William Shakespeare: 'Close up this din of hateful decay, decomposition of your witches' plot! You thieve my brains, consider me your toy, my doting doctor tells me I am not!' Lilith: No! Words of power! William Shakespeare: 'Foul Carrionite specters, cease your show, between the points... ' [he looks to The Doctor for help] The Doctor: 761390! William Shakespeare: '761390! Banished like a tinker's cuss, I say to thee... ' [he again looks to The Doctor] The Doctor: Uh... [he looks to Martha] Martha Jones: Expelliarmus! The Doctor: Expelliarmus! William Shakespeare: 'Expelliarmus!' The Doctor: Good old JK!” - Gareth Roberts

64. “Captain Jack: Rose, you are worth fighting for. [Jack kisses Rose passionately] Captain Jack: Wish I'd never met you, Doctor, I was much better off as a coward. [Jack kisses the Doctor the same way]” - Russell T. Davies

65. “This,’ whispered the Doctor to Romana, ‘is going to be like trying to find a book about needles in a room full of books about haystacks.” - Gareth Roberts

66. “When you're a kid, they tell you it's all... grow up. Get a job. Get married. Get a house. Have a kid, and that's it. But the truth is, the world is so much stranger than that. It's so much darker. And so much madder. And so much better.” - Elton Pope

67. “I think, that if the world were a bit more like ComicCon, it would be a better place.” - Matt Smith

68. “He took her by the hand and led her out of the control room and into a little side room. There, amid a lot of sculpting paraphernalia, was her statue. The statue from the museum. The statue of Fortuna. New and gleaming.Rose gaped. 'But I never posed for this.''No need,' said the Doctor, patting it on the arm -- an arm which still had a hand attached.'What d'you mean?''I mean,' he explained, 'that you won't have to pose for it. As Mickey said -' the Doctor smiled to himself - 'it was sculpted by someone who knew you pretty well.'He ran a hand through his hair and looked as though he was expecting applause.Rose walked round the statue. 'Is my bum really that--''Yes,' the Doctor interrupted testily. 'This statue is accurate in every detail. Bum. Arms. Legs. Nose. Broken fingernail on your right hand.'* * *Rose stood looking at the statue for a bit longer. 'It is perfect,' she said at last.'I was inspired.'They smiled at each other. All was right with the world again.” - Jacqueline Rayner

69. “So we're getting close to suggesting that camp is both the opposite of cool and a refinement of it. Camp and cool both have an element of not-caring, of disdain for the ordinary. The difference is that cool implies a lack of conscious effort, whereas camp is about putting everything you've got into it. Either you love something too much (much more than it's "worth", so the stereotypical anorak-wearing Doctor Who fan and the Barry Manilow cultist are both manifestations of this, at least to the outside world), or you're given to going over the top. Or you do both at once, in many cases. Both phenomena are examples of people fashioning an identity for themselves, and if you're reading this book then you must know people like that. Cool is not caring, camp is actively defiant.” - Tat Wood

70. “Cut! Go again."And again, and again, and again. Finally, after the fourth of fifth take I yelled down the hill to the director: "This isn't a fucking marathon! If we're going to go again, tell him on the bloody bike to slow down."David turned to me and said, "Having a bit of trouble, Captain?""That's all right for you to say," I laughed breathlessly, "but I'm carrying a rucksack on my back with your fucking hand in a glass jar inside” - John Barrowman

71. “Because she deserved more than me. She deserved someone who could give her the whole universe.” - Jacqueline Rayner

72. “Rose wasn't 'ordinary'. What was I supposed to do? Wrap her in cotton wool? Tell her 'Here, I could give you the universe, but I'm not going to in case you get hurt? There's all this stuff out there, all these planets, all these wonders, but I want you to stay at home and work in a shop?” - Jacqueline Rayner

73. “The Doctor: Dr. Song, you’ve got that face on again.River: What face?The Doctor: The ‘he’s hot when he’s clever’ face.River: This is my normal face.The Doctor: Yes, it is.” - Steven Moffat

74. “Never knowingly be serious. Rule 27.” - Steven Moffat

75. “Never run when you're scared. Rule 7.” - Steven Moffat

76. “He could wear hats. He could wear an assortment of hats of different shapes and styles. Boater hats, cowboy hats, bowler hats. The list went on. Pork-pie hats, bucket hats, trillbies and panamas. Top hats, straw hats, trapper hats. Wide brim narrow brim, stingy brim. He could wear a fez. Fezzes were cool. Hadn't someone once said that fezzes were cool? He was pretty aur ether had. And they were. They were cool.” - Derek Landy

77. “In the end I sort of though we created a companion who was so alive and dynamic and so wedded to the doctor that you’d need a whole universe to contain her in. The only way to get rid of her is to send her into a parallel world from which she can never return; otherwise she would stay with the doctor forever.” - Russell T. Davies

78. “Some people live more in twenty year than others do in eighty. It's not the time that matters, it's the person. - The Doctor” - Stephen Greenhorn

79. “How come "burbled" gets to be in the Oxford English Dictionary but "tulgy" doesn't? Hm?” - Mike Tucker

80. “I'll tell you one thing. Being with you keeps a girl fit.' The Doctor beamed breathlessly at her. 'Fun to be with and good for you. Gotta be just what the doctor ordered.” - Mike Tucker

81. “Of course, the machinery was also operating on similar frequencies to the TARDIS, so there's a possibility that she had a hand in it somewhere...''The TARDIS...' Rose looked at him quizzically.'Yeah, well, she does like to...interfere sometimes.''Right. I wonder where she gets that from.” - Mike Tucker

82. “The Doctor: I just don’t like nastiness, and people getting away with it.Churchwell: That sounds a rather, if you forgive me, innocent view.The Doctor: That’s as may be, but I’m sticking to it.” - Paul Magrs

83. “I do think there’s always a way to put things right. If I didn’t believe that I wouldn’t get out of bed in the morning, I wouldn’t eat breakfast; I wouldn’t leave the TARDIS ever. I would never have left home. There is always something we can do.” - Paul Magrs

84. “I'd forgotten not all victories are about saving the universe.” - Steven Moffat

85. “But Amy Pond. Oh! The Sea had briefly been able to touch her mind — it knew that the Doctor was the most important thing in the world to her, and it had given a copy of him to her. If they spent enough time together, the copy would become every bit as good as the real Doctor. It stood there now, wheeling her down to the beach, one hand resting lightly on her shoulders, drawing all it could from her.” - James Goss

86. “I am, and always will be, the optimist. The hoper of far-flung hopes, and the dreamer of improbable dreams.” - Eleventh Doctor

87. “The clever people at CERN are smashing particles together in the hope that Doctor Who will turn up and tell them to stop” - Ben Aaronovitch